Who Is Leopold Stanislaus Stokowski? The Quiet Brother of Anderson Cooper

Most people know Anderson Cooper as the famous CNN news anchor, but not many know about his older half-brother, Leopold Stanislaus Stokowski, also known simply as “Stan.” Stan was born on August 22, 1950, in New York City, and is the son of Gloria Vanderbilt and the legendary orchestra conductor Leopold Anthony Stokowski. After divorcing her first husband, Vanderbilt married music conductor Leopold Stokowski, who was notably 40 years older than her, in 1945. Growing up, Stan was surrounded by art, music, and big names, because both of his parents were very well-known people. His father was a renowned music conductor, while his mother, Gloria, was a wealthy actress, designer, and author. His father even appeared in Walt Disney’s famous film Fantasia. Despite all of this fame around him, Stan was always a calm and quiet child who preferred to stay away from the spotlight, and that choice stayed with him for the rest of his life.

Stan and Anderson Cooper are half-brothers. They share the same mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, but have different fathers, and Stan is 17 years older than Anderson. Even though there is a big age gap, Stan has been part of important family moments. In 2016, he joined Anderson at the premiere of their mother’s documentary, Nothing Left Unsaid, a rare moment where Stan stepped into the spotlight, just for family. Anderson’s former fiancée, April Sandmeyer, remembered how little Cooper truly adored his older half-brother. Stan also has a biological brother, Christopher Stokowski, though Christopher was estranged from the family for many years before slowly reconnecting. Stan’s half-brother Carter Cooper died by suicide in 1988 at the age of 23. These family losses were deeply painful, but Stan always stayed close to his mother and showed his love quietly, by simply being there when it mattered.

Stan attended the Riverdale Country School in the Bronx, then went on to Middlebury College, graduating in 1970. The following year, he joined the School of Visual Arts in New York City and earned his degree in painting in 1973. Even though he studied art, Stan did not follow his parents into music or entertainment. Instead, he started landscaping businesses in New York and New England and became known for designing beautiful outdoor spaces for high-end homes and buildings. Later, he even got involved in real estate projects in London. He owns and operates New Ground Gardens LLC, based in Sag Harbor, New York, which has been running since the late 1990s. His work may not make headlines, but people who know the industry respect him greatly. Stan’s career shows clearly how a steady, client-focused business can do very well without any publicity at all.

When it comes to his personal life, Stan keeps things simple and private. He is married to Emily Goldstein, and together they have raised two daughters, Aurora and Abra Stokowski. Aurora is married to New York-based investor Anthony Mazzei, while Abra also keeps her life away from public view. When Gloria Vanderbilt passed away in June 2019, Stan received his mother’s co-op apartment at 30 Beekman Place in Manhattan, valued at around $1.2 million, while the rest of the estate went to Anderson Cooper. Stan did not need much, though, because he had already built his own stable life. As of 2025, he has no notable social media presence, and there are no credible reports of controversies or legal disputes attached to him. In a world where people are always trying to get noticed, Stan is a good reminder that a happy and meaningful life does not have to be loud.

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